Fly With Me
by Daisyflo
Summary: "I don't dance," Ben mumbles. It's the second time Rey asks tonight, and the second time he refuses. She doesn't mind, though: she's too happy to let it offend her. She's exhausted, too, but is glad to be; glad to even feel anything. They won the war a few hours ago, and tiredness has never felt so good.


"I don't dance," Ben mumbles.

It's the second time Rey asks tonight, and the second time he refuses. She doesn't mind, though: she's too happy to let it offend her. She's exhausted, too, but is glad to be; glad to even feel anything. They won the war a few hours ago, and tiredness has never felt so good.

Ben's embarrassment isn't a surprise, and she doesn't need the bond to understand. He's exhausted too, but not only by the day they just had. Years of anger and isolation disappeared along with the First Order and the Emperor, and with it what one can only describe as a decades-long threat on his family. She remembers her mixed feelings at the realization that her life on Jakku was behind her, and can only imagine the intensity of his thoughts now that everything he knew is gone. Relief, maybe, but also uncertainty.

She's been uncertain, too. Now that the war is over, she isn't sure what exactly her life will be. There are probably many political matters to be addressed, but politics isn't something Rey is interested in. She isn't interested in leaving either- all she knows is here, with the friends who've become the family she's been longing for her entire life. She spent the last years being afraid, and yet has never been so scared of the future. But tonight is one of those nights that feels out of reality, one of those nights where she can easily brush her worries away and enjoy the moment. Everyone seems to be either drinking or jumping joyously around the large fire the pilots started, competing with the cool air of Takodana. Everyone seems relieved and happy. Everyone but Ben.

"Please," she murmurs.

His eyes widen a little at the hand she offers him, and she can't hide the grin blossoming at the corner of her lips.

"That's a cheap move," he finally says after a handful of seconds.

"But is it working?"

The answer comes in his silence as he considers her open hand. His face is still covered with bruises and dirt, and she can't help wondering why he hasn't let anyone take it off him. She's seen the General helping Rose with her cut lips and the wound on her arm, and Poe and Finn wiping the mix of blood and dirt off each other's face. Chewie had disappearing inside the Captain's quarters after helping her, but Ben had apparently either chased him off or left without her noticing.

She blinks in surprise when his hand takes hers, and feels her cheeks warm when their eyes meet. He seems just as surprised as she is, and even more when his arm drags her closer with a firm pull. She's pretty sure she sees him grin when she almost stumbles, but quickly looks away when his other hand finds her waist. Seeing his long fingers closing around her palm brings her back to that night on Ahch-To, and to the first time she felt like she could trust him. She's glad she did again today. Carefully, he starts to guide her into a slow dance that has nothing to do with the messy jumps and steps she saw her friends do by the fire earlier.

"You're quite good at this," Rey remarks after a few seconds.

She still doesn't know how to look him in the eyes without her face betraying her thoughts, and so she stares at their twined hands. She feels him shrug in response, then go silent for another minute before he speaks again.

"So, what now?"

Rey doesn't know. She doesn't think anyone knows. "Make me spin."

She feels his surprise through the bond, but he obliges her anyway. They part for a brief moment, his hand her only support as he accompanies her rotation with an ease that amazes her. He brings her back a second later, his hand hot against her waist.

"And now?"

They're back to their gentle pace, his arms guiding her as they quietly move next to the Falcon, far from the others. His voice is patient, curious, just enough to push her to look up. Her lips curl into a small smile when her eyes find his. "Again", she asks.

A low chuckle leaves Ben this time, and Rey feels herself smile at the sound of it. Her feet struggle to follow, but she holds onto his hand as they repeat the movement. She feels lighter than ever, more careless than she's ever been, safer than she could ever imagine. She comes back a little more abruptly this time, her free hand landing on his chest for support as he pulls her back one more time.

"And now?"

His voice is low, his eyes slightly darker. Neither of them resumes to the dance. Rey can feel her heart drumming inside her chest as she hears her next words leave her mouth. "Kiss me."

The smile on his lips is genuine this time, though she doesn't see it for long. His arm wraps around her waist, pulling her even closer than before until her chest meets his. The bond seems to whistle for a moment, then vibrate intensely when his lips brush hers with a delicacy that's as frustrating as it is rewarding. A wave of shivers rolls down her spine, and she can't help smiling against his mouth as her own hand travels up his shoulders, then through his hair while the other beckons him to bow down, allowing her to deepen the kiss with more ease. Her fingers twist around the fabric of his tunic as their tongues meet, but it's his smile that breaks the kiss.

"And now?" he whispers into her mouth.

A sigh of relief leaves her, and with it a fear she hadn't acknowledged until now. They barely part; just enough to allow Rey to glance at the small crowd now singing something she can't quite understand. Her eyes meet the General's, and her heart drops at the small nod the woman gives her. She spent her life waiting, and her day fighting for her life. Tonight sounds like a good time to start a new one. She looks at Ben again, a bright smile on her lips.

"Fly away with me."

Something washes over the bond; something she can't explain, yet understands immediately. She thinks the smile he gives her is the most beautiful thing she's been given today, but his answer is a close second. "Of course." His head tilts a bit, enough to let his forehead rests against hers. "Anything else?"

Her hand drops down his face to caress his cheek, her fingers tracing the faint remainder of the scar she once gave him. "Make me spin again."

Her heart drops at the sound of his laugh, then jumps back to her chest as Ben guides her through a series of spinning.


End file.
